Arena with configurable seating arrangements for selectively providing viewing access to an event floor from an event level hospitality area

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to arenas with selectively configurable seating arrangements for selectively providing viewing access to an event floor from an event level hospitality area. The arena includes a plurality of seats, at least some of which are removable. The plurality of seats is selectively arrangeable in tiered seating sections around the event floor to define one of a first seating arrangement and a second seating arrangement. The tiered seating sections include first and second opposing curved seating sections, and first and second spaced apart straight seating sections. The first straight seating section is located in front of the hospitality area. When the seats are selectively arranged in the first seating arrangement, the first and second straight seating sections are disposed generally parallel to each other and extend between the first and second curved seating sections so as to define an obround distribution of seats around the event floor; and viewing access of the event floor from the hospitality area is impeded by the first straight seating section. When the seats are selectively arranged in the second seating arrangement, the first straight seating section and the first curved seating section are omitted leaving the second straight seating section extending to the second curved seating section; and viewing access of the event floor from the hospitality area is unobstructed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to arenas configurable to holdsporting events or other non-sport related, entertainment events andmore specifically, to arenas with configurable seating arrangements forselectively providing viewing access to an event floor from an eventlevel hospitality area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional arenas have been designed to accommodate sporting eventstaking place on an event floor surrounded by sections of tiered seatinglaid out in an obround distribution. In such arenas, event levelhospitality areas are nestled behind sections of tiered seating—thetiered seating obstructing viewing access of the event floor from thehospitality area. Patrons of the hospitality area may view the sportingevents on large viewing screens disposed within the hospitality area, orif they want to see the event live, they can simply return their seats.This seating configuration allows the arena operator to maximize thenumber of seats available for viewing a sporting event and provides avariety of viewing angles for the spectators.

Increasingly, arenas are becoming multi-purpose venues. They are nowbeing used to hold a variety of non-sporting event or entertainmentevents. When used for non-sporting events, the arena must be outfittedwith a stage (usually, positioned at one end of the event floor) onwhich the performance will take place and the event floor becomes ageneral admission floor where spectators can stand while viewing theperformance. The general admission floor tends to be premium spacebecomes it allows the spectators to have enhanced access to the stage.Because of tiered seating, conventional arenas tend not to easily allowreconfiguration of the event floor to maximize the space for the generaladmission floor. Moreover, viewing access to the stage tends to beimpeded by the tiered seating located in front of the hospitality area,thereby cutting off patrons of the hospitality area from the generaladmission floor.

In light of the foregoing, there is a need for arenas with improvedseating configurations to better make use of the existing space andaccommodate the variety of events being hosted in arenas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an arena that has an event floor and a plurality of seats Atleast some of the seats of the plurality are removable. The plurality ofseats are selectively arrangeable in tiered seating sections around theevent floor to define one of a first seating arrangement and a secondseating arrangement. The tiered seating sections include first, second,third and fourth seating sections. The arena further has an event floorlevel hospitality area located behind the first seating section. Whenthe seats are selectively arranged in the first seating arrangement, thefirst and second seating sections are disposed generally parallel toeach other and extend between the third and fourth seating sections, anda view of the event floor from the hospitality area is obstructed by thefirst seating section. When the seats are selectively arranged in thesecond seating arrangement, the first seating section and the thirdseating section are omitted leaving the second seating section extendingto the fourth seating section, and a view of the event floor from thehospitality area is unobstructed.

In another feature, the event floor is configurable for one of asporting event and a non-sporting event. In an additional feature, thenon-sporting event is an entertainment event selected from the groupconsisting of a concert and a show. In one feature, the first seatingarrangement is adapted for viewing a sporting event. In another feature,the second seating arrangement is adapted for viewing a non-sportingevent.

In yet another feature, the arena has a stage that is positionableopposite the second seating section when the seats are selectivelyarranged in the second seating arrangement. In a further feature, theevent floor is a general admission floor bounded by the second seatingsection, the fourth seating section, the stage and the hospitality area.In additional feature, the event floor occupies a first footprint whenthe seats are selectively arranged in the first seating arrangement anda second footprint when the seats are selectively arranged in the secondseating arrangement. The second footprint is larger than the firstfootprint.

In still another feature, the arena has at least one wall arrangeablebetween the hospitality area and the first seating section. When theseats are selectively arranged in the first seating arrangement, the atleast one wall separates the hospitality area from the first seatingsection. In an additional feature, in the first seating configuration26, the seats in the first seating section are accessible from thehospitality area via a plurality of passageways communicating withopenings formed in the at least one wall. Optionally, the at least onewall is made of a transparent material. In a further option, the atleast one wall includes a plurality of wall panels.

In yet another feature, when the seats are selectively arranged in thesecond seating arrangement, the at least one wall is moved or removed soas open the hospitality area onto the event floor.

In a further feature, the hospitality area includes one or morehospitality suites, clubs, bars, restaurants, and other establishmentsfor patrons.

In another feature, the first and second seating sections are relativelystraight seating sections. In an additional feature, the third andfourth seating sections are curved seating sections. In still anotherfeature, the first, second, third and fourth sections are laid outaround the event floor in one of: (a) a rectangular distribution, (b) asquare distribution, (c) a circular distribution, (d) an ovaldistribution, and (e) an obround distribution.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an arena with selectively configurable seating arrangements forselectively providing viewing access to an event floor from an eventlevel hospitality area. The arena includes a plurality of seats, atleast some of which are removable. The plurality of seats is selectivelyarrangeable in tiered seating sections around the event floor to defineone of a first seating arrangement and a second seating arrangement. Thetiered seating sections include first and second opposing curved seatingsections, and first and second spaced apart straight seating sections.The first straight seating section is located in front of thehospitality area. When the seats are selectively arranged in the firstseating arrangement, the first and second straight seating sections aredisposed generally parallel to each other and extend between the firstand second curved seating sections; and viewing access of the eventfloor from the hospitality area is impeded by the first straight seatingsection. When the seats are selectively arranged in the second seatingarrangement, the first straight seating section and the first curvedseating section are omitted leaving the second straight seating sectionextending to the second semi-circular seating section; and viewingaccess of the event floor from the hospitality area is unobstructed.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention,there is provided an arena that has an event floor and a plurality ofseats At least some of the seats of the plurality are removable. Theplurality of seats are selectively arrangeable in tiered seatingsections around the event floor to define one of a first seatingarrangement and a second seating arrangement. The tiered seatingsections include first and second opposing curved seating sections, andfirst and second spaced apart straight seating sections. The arenafurther has an event floor level hospitality area located behind thefirst straight seating section. When the seats are selectively arrangedin the first seating arrangement, the first and second straight seatingsections are disposed generally parallel to each other and extendbetween the first and second curved seating sections so as to define anobround distribution of seats around the event floor, and a view of theevent floor from the hospitality area is obstructed by the firststraight seating section. When the seats are selectively arranged in thesecond seating arrangement, the first straight seating section and thefirst curved seating section are omitted leaving the second straightseating section extending to the second semi-circular seating section,and a view of the event floor from the hospitality area is unobstructed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present invention shall be more clearlyunderstood with reference to the following detailed description of theembodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an arena provided with a first seatingarrangement configured for viewing a sporting event taking place on theevent floor, the first seating arrangement including tiered seatingdisposed in front of the event level hospitality area so as to obstructviews of the event floor from the event level hospitality area;

FIG. 2 is a partial schematic plan view showing the first seatingarrangement, the event floor and the hospitality area illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the arena illustrated inFIG. 1 taken along a line that cuts through a first straight seatingsection, the event floor and the hospitality area;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the arena illustrated in FIG. 1 showing asecond seating arrangement configured for viewing an entertainment eventtaking place on the event floor, the second seating arrangement havingno tiered seating in front of the event level hospitality area so as toprovide unobstructed views of the event floor from the event levelhospitality area;

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic plan view showing the second seatingarrangement, the event floor and the hospitality area illustrated inFIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the arena illustrated inFIG. 4 taken along a line that cuts through the second seatingarrangement in a location previously occupied by the first straightseating section, the event floor and the hospitality area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The description which follows, and the embodiments described therein areprovided by way of illustration of an example, or examples of particularembodiments of principles and aspects of the present invention. Theseexamples are provided for the purposes of explanation and not oflimitation, of those principles of the invention. In the descriptionthat follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and thedrawings with the same respective reference numerals.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an arena identified generally withreference numeral 20. The arena 20 can be configured to hold a sportingevent (as shown in FIG. 1) or a non-sport related, entertainment event,such as a concert or show (as shown in FIG. 3). The arena 20 has anevent floor 22 and a plurality of seats 24 arranged in tiers around theevent floor 22. As described below, some of the tiered seats 24 areremovable.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first seating arrangement 26 adapted for viewing asporting event. In this first seating arrangement 26, the tiered seating24 is disposed in a generally obround distribution around the eventfloor 22. The event floor 22 is outfitted with a suitable playing space(and surface) (e.g. ice rink, or basketball court) for the sportingevent being held in the arena 20. In FIG. 2, the playing surface isshown outfitted with an ice rink.

In FIG. 1, four distinct sections of tiered seating can be seen—a firstsemi-circular or curved seating section 28, a second semi-circular orcurved seating section 30 located opposite the first semi-circularseating section 28, a first relatively straight seating section 32 and asecond relatively straight seating section 34. The first and secondstraight seating sections 32 and 34 are disposed generally parallel toeach other and extend between the first and second semi-circular seatingsections 28 and 30 to join one to the other. The semi-circular sections28 and 30 and the straight seating sections 32 and 34 cooperate witheach other to define the obround distribution of the tiered seating 24in the first seating arrangement 26. The seating sections themselves maybe further sub-divided into segments.

Disposed behind the first straight seating section 32 is a hospitalityarea 36. The hospitality area may include one or more hospitalitysuites, clubs, bars, restaurants, or other establishments for patrons.One or more walls 38 separate the hospitality area 36 from the firststraight seating section 32. Preferably, the walls are made of glass,acrylic or some other transparent material. The walls can be in the formof large wall sections or they can be made up of relatively smaller,articulated wall panels. Optionally, the walls may be movable orretractable. This can be achieved in a number of ways. For example, thewalls could be moved along floor and/or ceiling tracks or rails. Inother embodiments, the walls could be removable.

When in the first seating configuration 26, the tiered seating 24 in thefirst straight seating section 32 is accessible from the hospitalityarea 36 via a plurality of passageways 40 communicating with openings 42formed in the walls 38 (visible in FIG. 2). However, because of theplacement of the first straight seating section 32, the view of theevent floor 22 from the hospitality area 36 is obstructed (as best shownin FIG. 3).

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 6, there is shown a second seatingarrangement 44 that is adapted for viewing a concert, a show or othernon-sport related, entertainment event. In this second seatingarrangement 44, the first semi-circular seating section 28 and the firststraight seating section 32 have been entirely removed. This is madepossible by virtue of having removable tiered seating 24 in thosesections. In place of the first semi-circular seating section 28, astage 46 has been set up. The event floor 22 now occupies a largerfootprint of the arena 22 and defines a general admission floor 48 whichcan accommodate a large number of spectators.

With the first straight seating section 32 removed, the view of thestage 46 and the general admission floor 48 from the hospitality areas36 is now unobstructed (as shown in FIG. 6), thereby greatly enhancingthe patron experience associated with the hospitality area 36 (and henceits desirability for patrons and its profitability for the operators ofthe hospitality area). Patrons of the hospitality area 36 can now bemade to feel as if they are participating more actively or directly inthe event since there is improved movement of spectators between thehospitality areas 36 and the general admission floor 48. This effect canbe further enhanced by moving or retracting the walls 38 which haddelineated the hospitality area 36, thereby opening up the hospitalityarea 36 to the general admission floor 48 and allowing the chargedatmosphere on the general admission floor 48 to permeate more fully intothe hospitality area 36 (see FIG. 5). In a way, in the second seatingconfiguration 44, the hospitality area 36 can now be seen to beenlarging the footprint of the general admission floor 48.

It will thus be appreciated that the arena 20 has many advantages overprior art arenas where patrons of the event level hospitality areas arein effect cut off from the general admission floor 48 and are forced toview the event via large display screens. By making better use of theexisting space in front of the hospitality area 36, the arena 20 allowsspectators to frequent the hospitality areas 36 without unduly lesseningthe spectator experience. This creates a “win-win-win” situation for thespectators, the operators of the hospitality area and the arena owners.The ability to selectively reconfigure seating arrangements and theevent floor leads to improved use and versatility of the arena space.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that theprinciples of the present invention could be applied in the constructionof a new arena or could be implemented to equal advantage as part ofretrofitting activities for an existing arena.

In the embodiment shown and described the tiered seating is disposed ina generally obround distribution around the event floor 22 and thedistinct sections of tiered seating include curved seating sections andstraight seating sections. This need not be the case in everyapplication. In alternative embodiments, the tiered seating could belaid out in accordance with a different distribution, for example, arectangular, square, circular, oval or other distribution. Depending onthe tiered seating distribution, the distinct sections could compriseall straight sections, all curved sections or a combination of straightor curved sections.

Although the foregoing description and accompanying drawings relate tospecific preferred embodiments of the present invention as presentlycontemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that variouschanges, modifications and adaptations, may be made without departingfrom the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An arena comprising: an event floor; a pluralityof seats; at least some of the seats of the plurality being removable;the plurality of seats being selectively arrangeable in tiered seatingsections around the event floor to define one of a first seatingarrangement and a second seating arrangement; the tiered seatingsections including first, second, third and fourth seating sections; anevent floor level hospitality area located behind the first seatingsection; when the seats are selectively arranged in the first seatingarrangement: the first and second straight seating sections are disposedopposite to each other and extend between the third and fourth seatingsections; a view of the event floor from the hospitality area isobstructed by the first seating section; when the seats are selectivelyarranged in the second seating arrangement: the first seating sectionand the third seating section are omitted leaving the second seatingsection extending to the fourth seating section; a view of the eventfloor from the hospitality area is unobstructed.
 2. The arena of claim 1wherein the event floor is configurable for one of a sporting event anda non-sporting event.
 3. The arena of claim 2 wherein the non-sportingevent is an entertainment event selected from the group consisting of aconcert and a show.
 4. The arena of claim 1 wherein the first seatingarrangement is adapted for viewing a sporting event.
 5. The arena ofclaim 1 wherein the second seating arrangement is adapted for viewing anon-sporting event.
 6. The arena of claim 5 further comprising a stage,the stage being positionable opposite the fourth seating section whenthe seats are selectively arranged in the second seating arrangement. 7.The arena of claim 6 wherein the event floor is a general admissionfloor bounded by the fourth seating section, the second seating section,the stage and the hospitality area.
 8. The arena of claim 1 wherein: theevent floor occupies a first footprint when the seats are selectivelyarranged in the first seating arrangement and a second footprint whenthe seats are selectively arranged in the second seating arrangement;the second footprint being larger than the first footprint.
 9. The arenaof claim 1 further comprising at least one wall arrangeable between thehospitality area and the first seating section.
 10. The arena of claim 9wherein when the seats are selectively arranged in the first seatingarrangement, the at least one wall separates the hospitality area fromthe first seating section.
 11. The arena of claim 10 wherein in thefirst seating configuration, the seats in the first seating section areaccessible from the hospitality area via a plurality of passagewayscommunicating with openings formed in the at least one wall.
 12. Thearena of claim 10 wherein the at least one wall is made of a transparentmaterial.
 13. The arena of claim 10 wherein the at least one wallincludes a plurality of wall panels.
 14. The arena of claim 10 whereinwhen the seats are selectively arranged in the second seatingarrangement, the at least one wall is moved or removed so as open thehospitality area onto the event floor.
 15. The arena of claim 1 whereinthe hospitality area includes one or more hospitality suites, clubs,bars, restaurants, and other establishments for patrons.
 16. The arenaof claim 1 wherein the first and second seating sections are relativelystraight seating sections.
 17. The arena of claim 16 wherein the thirdand fourth seating sections are curved seating sections.
 18. The arenaof claim 1 wherein the first, second, third and fourth sections are laidout around the event floor in one of: (a) a rectangular distribution,(b) a square distribution, (c) a circular distribution, (d) an ovaldistribution, and (e) an obround distribution.
 19. An arena withselectively configurable seating arrangements for selectively providingviewing access to an event floor from an event level hospitality area,the arena comprising: a plurality of seats; at least some of the seatsof the plurality being removable; the plurality of seats beingselectively arrangeable in tiered seating sections around the eventfloor to define one of a first seating arrangement and a second seatingarrangement; the tiered seating sections including first and secondopposing curved seating sections, and first and second spaced apartstraight seating sections; the first straight seating section beinglocated in front of the hospitality area; when the seats are selectivelyarranged in the first seating arrangement: the first and second straightseating sections are disposed generally parallel to each other andextend between the first and second curved seating sections so as todefine an obround distribution of seats around the event floor; andviewing access of the event floor from the hospitality area is impededby the first straight seating section; when the seats are selectivelyarranged in the second seating arrangement: the first straight seatingsection and the first curved seating section are omitted leaving thesecond straight seating section extending to the second curved seatingsection; viewing access of the event floor from the hospitality area isunobstructed.
 20. An arena comprising: an event floor; a plurality ofseats; at least some of the seats of the plurality being removable; theplurality of seats being selectively arrangeable in tiered seatingsections around the event floor to define one of a first seatingarrangement and a second seating arrangement; the tiered seatingsections including first and second opposing curved seating sections,and first and second spaced apart straight seating sections; an eventfloor level hospitality area located behind the first straight seatingsection; when the seats are selectively arranged in the first seatingarrangement: the first and second straight seating sections are disposedgenerally parallel to each other and extend between the first and secondcurved seating sections; and a view of the event floor from thehospitality area is obstructed by the first straight seating section;when the seats are selectively arranged in the second seatingarrangement: the first straight seating section and the first curvedseating section are omitted leaving the second straight seating sectionextending to the second curved seating section; a view of the eventfloor from the hospitality area is unobstructed.